How could this be possible? That was their first reaction.
“Professor Li doesn’t need to joke about this, right? We’re not blind, this person…,” the speaker pointed at Lu Xi, “no matter how much this person looks like him, Professor Li can’t just call a black cat white and say he’s Experiment S, right?”
“Yes, the one standing here is a human, yet Professor Li insists on saying he’s a merman. This doesn’t make sense, does it?” someone frowned, their eyes full of disapproval.
“Everyone, think about it. What good would it do for me to deceive you about this? Even if I were desperate, I wouldn’t resort to telling such an, uh, obviously absurd lie, would I?” Li Shu knew they would be suspicious and was prepared for their doubts.
Once Li Shu finished speaking, no one voiced their doubts any longer. They pulled the people next to them into quiet discussions. At this time, no one cared if their views on research aligned. What Li Shu had said could be considered a complete overturn of their understanding, and they had to figure it out.
Some had already moved from discussing biology to evolutionary theory, completely forgetting why they had come here. What? Those things were no longer important. With such a miraculous existence before their eyes, those who were solely focused on uncovering the truth couldn’t be bothered with anything else.
Their eyes frequently drifted toward Lu Xi. At first, they tried to hide it, afraid of being noticed, but after a few minutes, those eyes fell on Lu Xi openly. Their stares were so intense that if they could take physical form, they would have dissected Lu Xi with their eyes.
Li Shu frowned and stepped in front of Lu Xi. “I’ll be sending out a detailed document later. Everyone, please show some restraint and don’t scare our new member.”
“New member? Professor Li, are you saying that this gentleman will be working at our base?” With this question, the researchers’ gazes became even more fervent.
“Yes,” Li Shu didn’t deny it. “The specific arrangements will be announced soon. For now, let’s focus on Director Jiang’s situation.”
“Oh right, Professor Li mentioned evidence. This evidence…”
“I’ve already handed over the evidence. Some of it has been posted on the internal network. Of course, there are some things that couldn’t be posted, which are here.” Li Shu raised his right hand, and a man in black respectfully handed over a sealed file to Li Shu’s outstretched hand.
“Director Jiang, would you like to take a look?”
When the researchers were discussing Experiment S, Jiang Tao silently shrank to the side, trying to minimize his presence as much as possible. He now hoped no one would notice him, that he would be completely ignored.
His wish was destined to go unfulfilled. At Li Shu’s words, everyone’s attention was drawn to him.
Some had already opened their phone and logged into the internal website, and indeed, there was an announcement about Jiang Tao pinned at the top. With a complicated mood, they clicked on it, and when they finished reading, their expressions were far from pleasant.
The bloody examples were laid out before them and they had no choice but to believe it. Jiang Tao had always been careful about maintaining his image, especially in front of these people. When Li Shu first mentioned those crimes, their initial reaction was disbelief. But now, with the cold, hard facts in front of them, it was glaringly obvious how unworthy he was of their trust.
Jiang Tao was now roasting over a fire, with no one left to speak for him. The researchers might dislike the cunning and manipulative, but it didn’t mean they were fools. When the truth was right before their eyes, with reason and evidence, how could they not understand that they had been deceived and used? From start to finish, they had been caught in someone else’s scheme.
The smarter a person is, the less they can tolerate being deceived. Once the truth was exposed, no one would speak for Jiang Tao again. At this moment, all the pain Jiang Tao had inflicted on others now came back to bite him.
One could only say it was well-deserved and self-inflicted.
Since the wounds needed to heal, those old festering sores had to be dealt with once and for all. Li Shu did not spare Jiang Tao or any of the network of connections he had built.
It was a considerable number. Through coercion or enticement, over the years, Jiang Tao had developed a network that spanned all levels of the base. Li Shu showed no mercy and dealt with every single person involved.
The atmosphere at the base was completely renewed and the vacant positions needed to be filled with new people quickly. Li Shu would no longer interfere in these matters. He had already promoted new, carefully vetted managers, and while he couldn’t guarantee perfection, there wouldn’t be a second Director Jiang for at least a few years.
Director Jiang was taken away. It wasn’t until he was in prison that he realized Li Shu had set everything up long ago, just waiting for him to fall into the trap. He also realized that if he had acted sooner, it wasn’t impossible for him to have won against Li Shu. But by the time he understood all this, it was already too late.
Li Shu didn’t stay at the base for long. After introducing Lu Xi’s new identity and checking the students’ progress, he left. However, the storm he brought didn’t subside just because he left.
At the base, Li Shu formally introduced Lu Xi, who would join the base as a special consultant. This was unprecedented, but no one objected. Just the fact that Lu Xi was a merman, and one who could take on a human appearance, left them no grounds for opposition.
After dealing with Director Jiang, Li Shu lifted the base’s information blockade and allowed news from the outside world to come in. It was only then that everyone realized that in the outside world, the existence of merfolk was no longer a secret.
After careful deliberation, the higher-ups decided to adopt a conciliatory policy towards the merfolk. This decision was made after considering various factors, and the information Li Shu submitted played a significant, if not decisive, role in it.
Those matters were beyond Li Shu’s control, and he had no intention of getting involved.
Mr. Chen sent accurate information, saying everything had been taken care of, and no one would dig into Li Shu’s past. Upon receiving this news, Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief. This matter was now settled, and it could be considered a perfect ending.
He immediately informed Li Shu, who was out at sea at the time. Li Shu and Lu Xi had gone to the area where Lu Xi was first discovered, partly to see where Lu Xi had lived and partly to search for any trace of Daniel.
Li Shu had asked the system. In the original plot, the place where Daniel was discovered by humans was exactly the same as where Lu Xi was found, and the timing was identical. He asked Yasu, and the other person said that Daniel had left the sea on the same day. It made no sense that the kale protagonist would just disappear.
If they couldn’t find him, it must mean something had been overlooked.
The wind at sea was strong, rustling the hem of Li Shu’s clothes. He stood by the railing, holding onto it as he gazed out at the sea.
The weather was excellent, with bright sunshine, a gentle breeze, and a comfortable temperature. With the sea breeze blowing, Li Shu squinted his eyes contentedly. Lu Xi brought out some juice and hugged Li Shu from behind, offering the fresh juice to his lips.
After a period of adaptation, Lu Xi had become accustomed to living in human form. He didn’t want to leave Li Shu, so Li Shu gave him the identity of an assistant, making it easier for him to follow Li Shu wherever he went.
The sea was vast. They had been at sea for a day but hadn’t yet reached the place where Lu Xi had been found. According to calculations, it would take another seven hours to get there.
“Did you come here often before?” Li Shu asked as he took the juice.
“Rarely. The area where we lived was far from human activity. This place is too close.” It had been a long time since he returned to the sea. The seemingly calm yet turbulent sea gave Lu Xi a sense of belonging, making him want to shed his constraints and swim freely beneath the waves.
As they moved farther from land, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. It was a pull from the soul. Sirens belonged to the sea; they were the kings of the ocean world. They should live in the deep sea, control the ocean, and become true powerhouses, not suppress their nature to live on land.
The call of the sea grew stronger and stronger. Something was desperately tugging at him. His grip on the railing tightened, his crimson eyes deepening. He stared at the sea as if trying to find something there.
“The wind is too strong. Let’s go inside,” Lu Xi said, trying to keep his tone normal.
He was losing control. The closer they got, the stronger the pull became. He might not be able to resist dragging Li Shu into the sea, into that mysterious underwater world, making this man his forever.
The idea was too tempting. He would place Li Shu in his lair, where he had carefully prepared jewels. The large shells were lined with soft gauze. Li Shu would lie on it, completely bare, covered only with the softest gauze. The gauze was so thin that Li Shu’s fair skin would be faintly visible.
Aside from hunting, he would spend all his time in the lair. He would prepare the most delicious food and the safest, most comfortable living environment for his partner. However, his partner would no longer be able to see anyone else or communicate with anyone other than him…
Dark thoughts spread like a spider’s web, firmly grasping Lu Xi’s weakness, releasing the most tempting bait to lure this powerful Siren king into the trap of its greed.
Lu Xi wrapped one arm around Li Shu’s waist and placed the other beside Li Shu’s hand. In his human form, Lu Xi was more than half a head taller than Li Shu, just enough to envelop him in his embrace. From behind, Li Shu’s figure was completely hidden by him.
Li Shu felt the instability in the person behind him. The hand on his waist kept tightening, squeezing him to the point of pain.
“What’s wrong?” Li Shu released his grip on the railing and covered Lu Xi’s hand with his own. The skin under his palm was cold. He wanted to turn around to look at Lu Xi, but the man held him firmly, preventing him from turning back.
“Lu Xi?”
What was happening?
“Don’t turn around,” Lu Xi pressed tightly against Li Shu, his arms exerting so much force that it felt like he wanted to crush the person in his embrace into his bones. His voice was low and slightly hoarse, repeating in a whisper, “Don’t turn around…”
He was almost losing control. The seductive voice echoed from the depths of his heart. It was a desire deeply ingrained in his bones, an unshakable obsession. The eyes were directly linked to the heart. If Li Shu turned around now, he would be burned by that blazing flame.
Lu Xi’s condition was very wrong, and Li Shu no longer tried to turn around. He sensed danger, and the source of that danger was precisely the person behind him. The temperature under his palm kept dropping, penetrating through his clothes, layer by layer, until it reached the skin on his abdomen. From this small patch, it began to spread outward.
Behind him was fiery heat, and in front was icy coldness. The two extreme temperatures appeared simultaneously. Li Shu frowned and gripped Lu Xi’s hand. “Let’s go inside.”
He needed to know what was going on with Lu Xi.
